- 3-day fair at the "Japan IT Week" (Spring edition) from Wednesday 9 to Friday 11 May. Mission participants will attend B2B meetings and meet with Japanese visitors. In order to maximize their partnering opportuni­ties, they will be able to exhibit in the EU-Japan Centre booth. Professional interpreters will be on hand during the trade fair to help them communicate with potential Japanese business partners. Based on materials they provide, the EU-Japan Centre will arrange Japanese-language posters to promote their product at the EU Delegation booth at the trade fair.

A Welcome Get-together for Mission participants will be organized on the evening before the Mission starts. This is an occasion to meet other participants in a casual and friendly atmosphere for those who are already in Tokyo at that time.

A month before the mission, an online pre-departure briefing will help you prepare for the mission to ensure you get the most out of it.

Objectives

Through this mission you have the opportunity to:

display your technology at one of Japan’s leading trade showsmeet potential business partnerscreate new business opportunitiesdevelop partnerships and business cooperation on global marketsattend match-making eventsincrease your innovation capacity and become more competitive on a global scale (as an SME)prepare the ground for practical cluster cooperation across borders and make a more strategic use of transnational cluster cooperation on markets outside Europe in areas of strategic interest (as a cluster)

Particpant Profile

Clusters and SMEs from European Union and COSME partnering countries.Large companies may apply, but priority will be given to applicants from SMEs and from clusters active in sectors covered by the trade fair.

Applications from EU companies and clusters covering products/technologies/services relevant to Artificial Intelligence, Fintech, and Internet of things (IoT) will be prioritized.

Eligibility

The candidate must:

be a citizen of an EU Member State or of a COSME partnering countrywork for a company that is > 50% EU (or COSME partnering country) ownedwork for an organisation that is an EU (or COSME partnering country) juridical personbe supported by his/her employerbe able to participate in the entire programmehave a good command of Englishbe a manager with proven experience in industry

Selection

The main criteria for selection are:

the professional & educational background of the candidate;the strategy of the participant's company regarding Japan.

In order to ensure a high degree of personal attention, the number of participants in this mission is limited to 20.

There are no costs for attending. Applicants will just need to cover flights and accomodation.

About techUK

techUK represents the companies and technologies that are defining today the world that we will live in tomorrow. More than 950 companies are members of techUK. Collectively they employ approximately 700,000 people, about half of all tech sector jobs in the UK. These companies range from leading FTSE 100 companies to new innovative start-ups. The majority of our members are small and medium-sized businesses.

techUK is committed to helping its members grow, by:

• Developing markets

• Developing relationships and networks

• Reducing business costs

• Reducing business risks.

techUK is the trading name for Information Technology Telecommunications and Electronics Association, a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England number 1200318.